


New Year's

by bleak_midwinter



Series: My Love [1]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 14:41:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17727134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleak_midwinter/pseuds/bleak_midwinter
Summary: Elise and Ada plan to make the most of the time they have while Ada is back from Boston, however it seems life has other plans...





	New Year's

The Shelby New Years party was in full swing. The Garrison was teaming with Peaky Blinders and the women from the betting shop, all of them drunk and high waiting to call in the New Year. But it wasn’t the festivities and cheap booze that had me excited, rather that the party meant that every member of the Shelby family would be occupied for at least another two hours. Two hours where there was no risk of someone walking in, or asking questions, two hours where Ada and I could relax and enjoy each other’s company without it being a rushed panic to avoid detection.

Karl was with a neighbour, no doubt already tucked up in bed and dreaming, which left the Watery Lane house Ada was staying in completely deserted. She’d snuck off half an hour ago and hadn’t been noticed, and now that the other girls were sufficiently drunk enough I could pull my famous “had too much to drink so I’m going to skip off unannounced” trick that meant I wouldn’t be searched for either.

Small Heath had never scared me, growing up in its shadows had left me immune to its sordid and violent dealings and as I walk the streets, all I can see is my home. I go round to the side door of Ada’s, not wanting to linger in view of anyone for too long, although it would be easy to play off our interactions as business; some urgent matter with the exports to Boston that it was my job to communicate. But she opens the door quickly and pulls me inside.

“Hello Elise,” she says, not giving me chance to respond before crashing her mouth against mine.

“Hello,” I mumble back, the word falling on her lips.

“How’s the party?”

“Fine, not really my thing but everyone else seems to be enjoying it.”

She pulls away from me, allowing me chance to remove my hat and coat now, which she takes from me and lays over the back of the settee.

“This is nice,” she says, running her fingers through the fur lined collar of the coat.

“Well I can’t be seen around you Shelby women in a drab coat now can I?”

She grins and perches on the back of the sofa. “So,” she says.”

“So.”

She pours some whiskey into two glasses and sets them on the small table and sits down, inviting me to join her. I take my glass from the table and stand between her legs, using the moment of calm to look round the room. It’s sweet, feminine but even after only being here a few weeks the place has definite American touches.

As I’m contemplating whether to ask her when she’ll be returning, her hands slide up my dress, nudging to material away from my thighs so that her fingers can wander. She pushes my dress up to my stomach and prompts me to remove it before turning back to the skin now exposed above my knickers.

“We can actually take our time,” she says, planting kisses towards my waist.

“No one barging in-“

“With space to relax-“

“Not cramped in some cupboard or side room trying to be quiet so no one can hear.”

Ada pulls back and smiles up at me. “You enjoy it when there’s people around.”

I lace my fingers in her hair and tilt her head further back. “Shut up.”

“What is it they say? It’s always the quiet ones,” she replies with a smirk, leaning into my hand as I brush her hair from her face.

I don’t want to come back with a reply, I don’t even want to be talking, so I cut her off with a kiss, shifting my knees to rest either side of her hips so I can undo the buttons on her dress.

She helps me along, positioning her shoulders to allow the garment to slide down.

“You smell amazing,” I say, trailing kisses along her neck.

“It’s a new perfume, from America. I forget what it’s called but it’s expensive.”

I pull away from her and smile. So different is she to when she was growing up that without her famous surname it would be difficult to realise they were the same person. The little girl I knew, with scuffed knees and what seemed to be a perpetual black eye from running around with the boys, seemed to be from a different world to the woman under me now; sophisticated and worldly, although still undeniably stubborn and fiery.

“What are you pondering?” she says, fiddling with the lace lining of my brassiere.

“You.”

“Yeah? Good things I hope.”

“Of course,” I reply, turning my attention back to her neck.

We end up in her bedroom, the covers discarded from the bed and our clothes leaving a trail up the stairs behind us. As I lay with my head on her chest, her fingers playing with my hair and the fire keeping us warm despite our lack of clothing, my eyes wander around the room. Like downstairs, it’s nice but it seems a little bland, unlived in, like she can’t bare to spend any more time here than what’s absolutely vital; a reminder that her home is in America now and, as soon as she’s finished up here, she’ll be heading back.

“You’re spending a lot of time in your head,” Ada says, kissing the top of my head.

“That’s just me isn’t it?”

“Everything alright?”

“Course.” I point across the room the wardrobe in front of us, wanting to change the subject. “That’s the biggest wardrobe I’ve ever seen.”

“Mmm, I know! I might have brought too much stuff back with me from America, that’s just got my coats in…”

“You’re joking!”

“No… look.” She hops out of bed and puts her knickers and robe on, throwing open the doors to show me the lines of expensive fur lined coats within.

“Ada, darling, I get you have a lot of nice clothes, but that’s a little excessive don’t you think?” I say with a laugh, the wardrobe so large that she seems almost dwarfed by it.

“Not at all!”

“You could fit in there! You could take a table and a chair and cocoon yourself away in it, it’s that big.”

She flashes a smile over her shoulder. “Is that a challenge?”

“No, but I suppose I’m not going to stop you now am I?” I reply, climbing out of bed and dressing myself with the few remnants of clothing at hand.

Ada separates her coats, making a little nook she can settle into and climbs inside easily.

“See, excessive,” I repeat as she closes herself in.

“Alright, maybe a little. It’s lovely though don’t you think?” her muffled voice says.

“Gorgeous, right come on out now, I’ve made my point,” I say grasping the door knob and yanking it open. But the door doesn’t move, and the handle comes away in my hand.

I stare at the ornate bulb in my hand and Ada pushes the door from the inside but it refuses to open.

“What’s happened?” she asks.

“Umm, the handles come off and the doors still latched closed…”

“You what!”

“It’s stuck. Just give me a second to get dressed and I’ll see if I can open it.”

I fly down the stairs dressing myself and collecting Ada’s clothes as I go, before grabbing a knife from the kitchen with the hopes of jimmying open the door.

“The New Year just started and I’m already trapped in a closet,” Ada says when she hears me re-enter the room.

“Figuratively and literally,” I mumble back.

“What?”

“Nothing. I got a knife to try and open it.”

“Oh sweet you are not going to be to do it…”

“I might!” I pry the door a little bit nothing happens, neither does sticking the knife in the hole the handle left and trying to flick the latch.

“If this were the other way round you’d be out by now,” Ada says and I hear her slump to sit down.

“Well I’m sorry I didn’t spend my childhood breaking into locked doors,” I snap back, still jamming the knife around as if some miracle will pop open the door. When it still won’t open I place the knife on the side table. “Want me to fetch one of your brothers?”

“NO!”

“Ada-“

“They’ll know you’ve been here and then when they find me in the wardrobe in my underwear, what are they going to think!”

“That I popped round to wish you a happy new year and you were getting ready for bed? I don’t know Ada, but I doubt they’ll immediately assume we were having sex!”

“No! I’ll figure something out.”

She goes quiet then, pondering her situation and I neaten her room in the silence until you’d never have known I was there. When she still isn’t out after five minutes I head downstairs to get my coat and hat, putting them on as I walk up the stairs.

“Right, you’ve had your chance. I’m going to get one of your brothers,” I declare, tightening my coat’s belt around my waist.

“Please-“

“Ada!” a call comes from downstairs and in a second of blind panic I don’t reply. But the room is tidy, there’s nothing incriminating other than the fact that I’m here, and that can be easily explained away.

“She’s up here Arthur!” I call back, ignoring the muffled protests from the wardrobe.

“Alright Elsie,” Arthur greets when he enters the room. “where is-“ I nod to the wardrobe and his eyes widen. “She’s in there?”

“Apparently…”

I can tell he’s trying to hold back a laugh, the booze no doubt making the whole situation seem far funnier to him.

He composes himself though and turns to me. “What are you doing here?”

“I was walking back home and saw the lights on, figured I’d pop in and wish her a happy New Year, and… yeah. There she was…” I reply without missing a beat.

Arthur seems to buy it and crouches in front of the wardrobe door, pressing his eye to the hole as if he’ll be able to see Ada inside.

“You’re a pillock Ada, what are you doing in the wardrobe?” he says.

“Just get me out Arthur,” she replies.

I decide to leave them to it, no point raising suspicion by hanging around.

“I’ll see you at work Ada, Arthur. Happy New Year.”

“Yeah, see ya,” Arthur replies, waving feebly over his shoulder as he fiddles with the door.

I wait, but with her brother present Ada stays silent.


End file.
